In a place such as Paris finding fairly priced food and wine indeed a rarity. Due to the comparatively affordable food prices, and the friendly mark-up policy for wine, you can eat and drink here and spend less than €50 a head. That is about as much as you’d spend in a 3* for a couple of glasses of wine, just to put things in perspective.

What really makes Le Vérre Volé special though is the wine selection they have here. Instead of having a wine list, you just look around you and pick whatever bottle you fancy. The prices are simply the ones on the bottle, to which you add €7. Take the interesting selection of wines apart; such a kind mark-up policy just invites you to drink more than you’d do otherwise. As you, the diner, and the restaurateur benefit of such ideas, one wonders why they are so rarely found in the world of gastronomy.

However, as the main point of this restaurant is to drink, the food is just there to play with the wines, to complement them. And that it does superbly. As it is a very spontaneous style of cuisine that emerges from the little kitchen, one can hardly criticise the odd little under-seasoned slice of veal Carpaccio.

What is definitely superb is a dish of simply grilled live prawns. These are delightful. Plump, crunchy, incredibly juicy and bursting with flavour. Whilst you could easily devour a bucket load of these little creatures, one should leave a little space for what else there is on the menu.

Another fantastic dish is a veal head with potatoes and leeks. Surprisingly clean in flavour, the meat is meltingly tender, with bags of gelatinous parts to satisfy everyone. The slightly crunchy strips of leek are a perfect pairing with the tender meat and waxy potatoes. Such food is simple, to the point and quite simply a perfect partner for the kind of wine served here.

Thus, Le Vérre Volé is the perfect counterpart to all of the grand Parisian restaurants. Its relaxed and warm atmosphere is a delight, just as are the fair wine prices and the hearty fare served.

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